rhm

Ladies and Gentlemen, I dare you!

List the last five bicycles you acquired for yourself. Flips, rescues, gifts for family and friends, etc., don't count. You may count bikes you've already sold, provided you bought them for your own use. Tell how long you've had it, and how many miles you've put on it. Major rebuilds count as new bikes. Can you do it?

I'll go first. These numbers are approximate, and in the miles I probably rounded up more than down. Even so, I find these numbers humbling!

1975? Motobecane Grand Jubile, the 531 main tubes kind.
Less than a month, 10 miles.

1971 Lambert rebuilt as a "clubman" with bogus graphics and AW hub
Three months, 50 miles in this configuration, maybe 200 before the rebuild.

1948 Raleigh Record Ace.
Five months, 300 miles.

1940's Fothergill, seven months, 900 miles.

1964 Moulton Four Speed, nine months, 100 miles

Honorary mention, my new commuter bike, Downtube 8H
11 months, 3700 miles. This kinda makes all the others unnecessary, though.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

'84 Raleigh Gran Course - 2 days ago, 0 miles. Gotta put some pedals on it.

'89 Centurion Sport DLX - 3 weeks, Not finished. Not even close.

'90 Centurion Ironman Expert - 3 weeks, 50 miles - I've since left it in Boston with my little brother with the understanding that I get to ride it when I'm in town and he can ride whatever crap I bring with me.

'72 Schwinn World Voyageur - 6 weeks, 200ish miles

'77 Centurion Pro-Tour - Got it in May, Traded 2 days ago for the Raleigh Gran course. I enjoyed probably 4-500 miles.

noglider 

Most recent:

Surly Cross check frameset, 54cm. I got this as a trade. I had a 58cm, and the guy said he had a 56cm to trade. He made me take pictures of the measurement of my frame to prove it was a 58cm. And then when I received his, he said he had thought it was a 56. Oh well. I have this for months, and it's still in the box, bare. I haven't managed to build it back up. 0 miles.

Raleigh International frameset. Got it in a 3-way trade last fall. Haven't built this, either. RobE30 primed the frameset for me. I've been collecting the parts. I have pretty much everything I need except spokes for one of the wheels. I think I'll put contact paper on the frame instead of painting it, just to do something unusual. 0 miles.

Nashbar cheapo fixed gear bike. Only had a few hundred miles on it, and then it got stolen a few months ago. I think I bought it in 2008. It was really cheap, but it rode very nicely. It was my fault. I left it in front of my house unlocked for many days. No odometer.

1962 Rudge 3-speed. Got it two or three years ago at an estate sale. I paid $30 total for two 3-speed bikes. A few months ago, I finally got around to fixing this one up and making it ridable. It was my daily rider until a few days ago, when I pulled my Super Course out of mothballs. I like it, but the tires are really harsh. I'm coming to the conclusion that lots of Schwalbe tires ride like rocks. I guess I have a 200 or 300 miles on it, but I don't have an odometer on it.

1971 Raleigh Super Course. Got it in the trash around 2005. Half of the components had been replaced on it. By now, I have replaced absolutely everything except the headset. It has 27" wheels I built for a commuter bike back in 1985. This has been my testbed bike for years. I change components on it often. I'm on my fourth handlebar configuration now. This bike is wonderful for both errands and fun. The bike looks like hell, which makes me feel secure locking it up. I had an odometer on it for a long time, but I lost it a few months ago, so I don't know how many miles. A fair number, I suppose.

rhm

Oh, great, now the irony hits me!

After all the above, I forgot one. I'm too embarrassed to even edit my post.

1980 Cera? Dutch racing bike, mix of Campy NR and comparable gear.
Two months, 50 miles.

If I remember any more, I'm going in for therapy.

noglider 

Zaphod, how does that Centurion ride? We had a Terry-style Ironman here for a while, and it was a blast, possibly because of the 24" front wheel.

nikkorod

72 Schwinn World Voyageur 3 months haven't touched it yet 0 Miles.

2000ish Lemond Zurich frame- 4 months, 0 miles and collecting parts for the build. The frame needs to be powdered coated as well.

86 Nashbar Race SIS-140 miles 8 months

mid 80's Franklin Custom- 2 years 1500 miles

2010 Soma Doublecross DC- 1.5 years 2800 miles

fender1

2011 Rivendell A. Homey Hilltopper- 2 months 130 miles

1986 Schwinn High Sierra 7 months 150 miles (Towny/errand bike)

2009 SOMA Double Cross Snow Bike 8 months 60 miles (wears studded tires all year)

2009 Salsa LaCruz 1 year 6 months 900 miles

2009 Sala El Mariachi 29'er Mountain bike 400 miles (appox.)

I also sold abou 9 bikes in the last 2 years so whatever they had on them as well.....

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Nikko what color is your World Voyageur? I got Orange!

Tom, which Centurion do you mean?

nikkorod

Blue.

nikkorod

Crap. I forgot my MTB. 2010 Vassago Bandersnatch. 500-600 miles

fender1

What he is not telling you is that I saw it on CL for $75 and called him so he could snag it. I'm a giver, what can I say?

nikkorod

Now it sits in my garage weeping like the girl from Silence of the Lambs. I threaten it with the hose unless it wipes itself down with WD40

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

ah let it rust up, it'll give you an excuse to strip it to bare chrome.

scozim 

Late 70's Motobecane Super Mirage mixte - only ridden a few miles, more for kids friends when they show up, purchased in March

Late 80's Scott Sawtooth mtb - part of a package of bikes - the others were junk - for $18. Still on the workstand, purchased in March

1981 Trek 510 - purchased from a pawn shop - ridden 300-400 miles so far. Purchased August 2010

1987 Trek Antelope - purchased from a customer out of their garage - touring commuter, ridden on fire roads and is the primary mail go-getter, had it for about 2 years

1996 Klein Pulse II - sold my '98 Bianchi Trofeo to get this bike. I got the better of the deal. I ride this bike from 2-4 times when the weather (i.e. wind) is too bad for a road bike. It's a blast and climbs like a goat. Probably 300-400 off road miles on it since last fall. Purchased June 2010

noglider 

Oh, I forgot my Raleigh Twenty, which would knock out the Super Course. It rides like crap. One day, I'll figure out why I don't like it, because I really want to have a folding bike. Paid only $40 for it. Probably has less than 100 miles on it. I don't remember when I got it. Maybe two years ago.

JunkYardBike

Kogswell 650B....several months?....a few hundred miles

'84 Waterford Paramount...a year maybe?....several hundred miles

'78 Trek TX500...1.5 years?....couple thousand miles

200? Giant OCR2...2 years?....couple thousand miles

Greg Diamond...2.5 years ago?....fractions of a mile...can't solve fork chatter problem...hard anodized rims suck

-holiday76

most of mine were purchased as a frame and sat for a bit before they were built.

- 90? giant rincon. I think this and the Moto listed below were the only complete bikes that came to me that way. this one was a gift from a forumite so i guess it doesnt count. I've had it since 08 or so and I've put maybe 200 miles on it or a little more.

-'68 Carlton Flyer. Sat for a year before I built it. few hundred since then,

- 80 something Lotus Eclair Tourer - a few years. Maybe 2k?

-86 Bianchi Squadra - I think 7k or so. Built in 09.

- 76 Motobecane grand Jubilee. - maybe 100 miles - gave it to my dad. Owned it for maybe 6 months.

There are others but these are the first few I remembered. Again, counting frames, I've purchased probably 30 bikes since '08 just for myself. Most I ride for a bit then they move on. The bianchi, lotus and Carlton are keepers hence the higher mileage. Anything I didnt mention that's in my sig is because I havent really ridden it yet because it's a work in progress.

i often buy bikes as projects that are sometimes multi-year affairs. 60's px-10, 80's Colnago, etc.

Arrowana

Lets see if I can actually remember this...
1994 Barracuda A2E - 1 month - 0 miles - This will be my winter bike, and a nice comfy bike to ride the rest of the year. It's got a front disc, and a rear Nexus 8 speed hub with coaster brake. Still trying to get everything together for it, I wonder if I will ever figure out what size seatpost it needs, and then if I will ever find one that size...

1988 Centurion Ironman Expert - 2 months - 70 miles - Rode it some as is, broke a spoke (Hint, leaving a bike like this sitting around at work is a bad idea) and now I'm waiting till I have all the parts to swap to 8 or 9 speed.

1970's Raleigh Record - 3 Months - 10 Miles - Started as a fixed gear conversion in poor shape. First I got a crankset and new front wheel, rode it a bit, and now I'm converting it to a 3-speed. Fixed gear was fun, but now I'm having back problems, and this should be a nice comfy bike to ride around till the Barracuda is complete. Once the Barracuda is done, I'll probably strip it down and give it the paint job it badly needs.

1982 Motobecane Mirage Sport - 3 months - 250 miles? - Bought it with plans to be a commuter, and still haven't got all the stuff I need for that, or decided if it is even the bike I want to use for that. But the GT and Centurion both developed issues within a week of each other, and this is what I'm riding most right now.

1995 GT Pantera - 1 year - 1500-2000 miles? - I slowly turned it into a pretty fast hybrid, and was my main bike for quite awhile. I've decided that I'd rather have a fast road bike, and a more comfy bike instead of it though, and the front cantis decided to fail when I was towing home the Barracuda. I guess it knew that it was going to be replaced.

There probably was a few between the GT and Motobecane, but it didn't take long to decide they weren't keepers.

blaise_f

This should be converted to a picture thread. I tend to blank out flips from my mind - it leaves more room for important things (like brain cells killed by beer, wine and spirits).

~40s Bertin 3 speed - 2,000 mi


(18)83 Columbia Expert 54" - ~50 mi (still in restoration). Going C2C on this bike, hopefully in 2012.


(19)82 Trek 950 - 100 mi (loved that bike, but it was *way* too big for me)


~50s Motoconfort 4 speed - 1,500 mi (Dad rode this on RAGBRAI with me this year)


Spillane Eagle 50" - 1,500 mi (incl. RAGBRAI 2011, 500mi/7day/20.3ft climb)

3speed

90 Miyata 914 - ~1-2 months? - ~100mi
74 Ellis-Briggs - ~10months - 30mi? Decided it's too small.
85 Club Fuji - ~6months - ~200mi
80s Cierra Professional - ~1 1/2yr - 500mi?
94 Giant Yukon - ~2yrs - 100mi? singletrack/downhill mountain biking

And most of those miles were last year when I got into this C&V thing. This year between work and our complete sh*t weather in WI I've barely gotten out. That finally seems to be changing, though. I probably got in ~100mi last month and plan to keep increasing that.

verktyg 

Most recent, a 1983 Trek 700 back in mid June. Like new condition. I put maybe 50 miles on so far.

Late 1960s Gitane Interclub frame only back in mid March. I'll probably build it up as a SS for flat easy rides.

1970s Motobecane Rivera Folding Bike, totally overhauled. I bought it cheap in early March to ride to the store. Maybe 5 miles so far.

1989 Peugeot Chorus 753 frame only. Two tone blue fade paint. Like new. I have a full 1988-89 Campy Chorus gruppo for it.

1985 Bertin C37 show bike, frame only, like new. Bought at the beginning of February.

Since 3 of these are bare frames, I have 2 others that I bought a month apart that I ride. Both are 1988 Peugeot Biarritz bikes.

The first I bought last December, again in like new condition. Super Vitus 980 frame with Shimano 600 gruppo. It's one sweet riding bike. I have about 100 miles on it so far.

The second Biarritz I bought as a bare frame in decent condition back in January to use as a regular rider (and keep the first one looking new). I built it up with a combo Shimano 600, 105 and Ultegra components. It rides just as sweet, actually even smoother because it has some soft riding Michelin tires on it. I have about 50 miles on it.

Chas. verktyg

BTW, I have a pair of Centurion pink and yellow Ironman Experts, a 1986 and a 1987. I bought them because I was briefly into the Miami Vice look back in the late 80s...

They ride and handle weirdly! They were truly made for Tri freaks! They go STRAIGHT down the road, a feature you'd want after running and swimming.

RobE30

77 Centurion Pro Tour 0 miles, need to flip BB spindle

58 Lenton Grand Prix 50-60 miles, needs a few adjustments

70 ish Atala Grand Luxe 0 miles, waiting on a Huret Jubilee r/d

74 International 800-1000 miles Really dig this bike, just lacks bottle braze ons

74 Internationaal (my version of an International) 0 miles, sitting in primer, one more trip to the frame builders then paint and assembly!

JohnnyBee

Most recent-

1983 Trek 560. TMU ( sold it to a friend 18 years ago ) I had converted it to a flat bar bike for my Wife. Done again.

1991 Specialized. Has around 200 miles on it ( another hanger ) refreshed and done.

1983 Panasonic DX2000 TMU Done.


Johnnybee.

gomango

Mixed bag, to be sure. I won't count flippers, or try out bikes. I like to try out new bikes constantly, and after I scratch that itch, sell them to club members or friends. I never have a problem getting rid of nice steel racing and touring bikes. I do have a problem with OCD (bike acquisition and sales) and ADHD though.

Here's the list though.

2011 Rawland rSogn 650b frameset- Will build this winter for next May's Almonzo 100. Looks like it will be built with 2009 Centaur, and it should be a beast. It's a modern take on an XO1, with lots of braze ons. A great gravel road racer I hope.

1993 Chris Kvale sport tourer - Ridden every other day. 1,200 miles since March.

1997 Chris Kvale Criterium (geo)- Acquired when I bought a garage full of Campy goodies from a fellow in the southern Metro and is for sale. Challenging fit sizing. Will sell eventually to some lucky long torso'd rider. Zero miles for me, but it could be a lifetime bicycle for the next owner. It's that nice. P.S. I'll let it go for half of Chris Kvale's used framesets prices listed on his site.

Mid 1990's John Hollands sport tourer- Love this bicycle! Can't imagine loving a bicycle any more. Ride it everywhere when I don't take my Kvale. Closing in on 1,300 miles this summer. Big miles yet to come in August and September.

2001 Curt Goodrich frameset- Bought from a fellow in southern Minnesota. Had it listed on the local CL for a very fair price and I raced with cash in hand 130 miles to pick this one up. Hanging on a hook, but will build someday.

and on deck:

I am babysitting two bicycles for my buddy Tommy. They are as nice as anything I own, that's for sure.

A 2007? Colnago Extreme Power- A rocketship, of which I am not worthy. Maybe twenty years ago. I might buy it when I settle on several recent sales of mine, as he has a C59 Italia on the way. Makes me re-think my lukewarm attitude towards CF, that's for sure. Mileage? 100s and 100s, but I won't count. Let's just say I'll owe him a new set of tires when he gets back.

A 1990's De Rosa Primato- EL-OS I found it for him in Rochester, and I get to ride her occasionally. Makes me clearly understand what the hubbub is all about. This is a "real" racing bike kids, and again, I may not be worthy.

Believe it or not, my collection has dwindled by thirteen bikes since last September!

JunkYardBike

You win. Not just this thread, but all of C&V. We can now close the forum.

Are you dropping that guy on the wonderbike? His face is priceless (even if you are having a conversation). That's a great photo.